Thursday, April 10, 2014

SUSAN KIM is a playwright, TV writer, and author. Her two graphic novels w/co-author Laurence Klavan, “City of Spies” (artwork by Pascal Dizin) and “Brain Camp” (artwork by Faith Erin Hicks), were published by First Second Books in 2010. “Flow: the Cultural Story of Menstruation” (co-written w/Elissa Stein) was published by St. Martin’s Griffin in 2009. Plays include the stage adaptation of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club (Dramatists Play Service) and various one-acts that were produced in the EST Marathon, including Death and the Maiden, Rapid Eye Movement,Dreamtime for Alice (Dramatists Play Service and Farrar Strauss), and Memento Mori (Smith and Krauss). Her work has been produced internationally. Ms. Kim has been nominated five times for the Emmy and four times for the Writers Guild award for her work in both non-fiction and children’s TV; she won a WGA award in 1996 for Best Documentary. She lives in New York City, teaches dramatic writing in the MFA program at Goddard College and currently blogs for the Huffington Post.

LAURENCE KLAVAN wrote the novels, “The Cutting Room” and “The Shooting Script,” which were published by Ballantine Books. He won the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for the novel, “Mrs. White,” co-written under a pseudonym. His graphic novels, "City of Spies" and "Brain Camp," were co-written with Susan Kim and published by First Second Books at Macmillan. His short work has been published in The Alaska Quarterly, Conjunctions, The Literary Review, Gargoyle, Louisville Review, Natural Bridge, Pank, Stickman Review, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, among many other journals, and a collection is forthcoming from Chizine Publications. He received two Drama Desk nominations for the book and lyrics of "Bed and Sofa," the musical produced by the Vineyard Theater in New York and the Finborough Theater in London in 2011. His one-act, "The Summer Sublet," is included Best American Short Plays 2000-2001.

CHARACTER GUIDE

Esther – a headstrong girl who rejects the constraints of a ravaged world until she learns that the cost of friendship and love is responsibility.

Skar – sensible, loyal, and a formidable hunter, Skar is a variant and Esther’s best friend. Though born a hermaphrodite, she identifies as female and will fall deeply in love with another girl.

Joseph – uneasy with emotions and physical touch, he loves books, maps, cats—and, in his own way, Esther.

Eli – stalwart, well-meaning and awkward, he harbors an abiding love for Esther that will curdle into bitterness when he’s rejected.

Caleb – a charismatic, haunted loner whom tragedy has taught to focus only on revenge

Levi –smart and addicted to power, Levi is an expert at manipulation and merciless when confronted… or betrayed.

Michal – Levi’s beautiful and fun-loving girlfriend, she will nearly be destroyed by him and will later be drawn to another outcast, Skar.

Aras – After being attacked and blinded on an earlier job, the guide hides his competence and goodness behind cynicism and marijuana smoke, depending only on his savage guide dog, Pilot.

Ina – Head of the adults in Mundreel, Ina is kind, strong, and wise… or so she seems to Esther, desperate for a mother. She draws in the hapless girl with a warmth that disguises her darker intentions.

“When the sun rose, Esther saw that Prin was gone.

Most of the buildings on Main Street had vanished, replaced by piles of rubble and skeletons of frames that still drifted dust. The few storefronts left standing were in precarious condition, with bent metal rods protruding from fallen roofs. Glass from windows had exploded onto the sidewalks, crunching underfoot in glittering shards.

The crack that ran down the center of the street had opened into a jagged chasm. Long-dead cars that had been parked along the street had fallen in completely or stuck halfway out like toys, their hoods and windshields smashed.

As if in a dream, Esther headed down the street with Kai in her arms.”

The Emmy Award-nominee and Edgar Award-winning duo bring readers back to the Wasteland in this thrilling sequel.

Karin Slaughter, bestselling author of Criminal, called Wasteland, "A Lord of the Flies for future generations. An irresistible page-turner."

The former citizens of Prin are running out of time. The Source has been destroyed, so food is scarcer than ever. Tensions are rising…and then an earthquake hits.

So Esther and Caleb hit the road, leading a ragtag caravan. Their destination? A mythical city where they hope to find food and shelter - not to mention a way to make it past age nineteen.

On the way, alliances and romances blossom and fracture. Esther must rally to take charge with the help of a blind guide, Aras. He seems unbelievably cruel, but not everything is as it seems in the Wasteland.…

In this sequel to Wasteland, the stakes are even higher for Esther, Caleb, and the rest of their clan. They're pinning all their hopes on the road...but what if it's the most dangerous place of all?

The writing duo of Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan brings the sequel to the thrilling Wastleland Series in Wanderers. Continuing the struggling story of Esther in a world that is desolate and very dangerous, she and the other occupants of Prin decide to leave in search of a rumored place that has all the food and water one could possibly want. This journey is sure to test their will and determination. Esther, Caleb and the group will risk everything. Have they chosen the right path? Will this expedition bring forth promise of a better life at its destination? The road ahead of them is uncertain and they will soon find out if leaving Prin was the right choice.

The world that Kim and Klavan has created is filled with vibrant imaginings. Scenes from a dystopian novel will always call for the inconceivable. However, each scenery is laced with sharply written description that visualizing its landscape of a world in decay becomes a simple task. The voices of the characters are very mature. The world these teenager are living in are harsh and hostile and it adjusted their way of thinking, meaning each decision is calculated.

The plot is certainly exciting and highly thrilling. The actions will have readers glued and will have them guessing what to expect at each turn of the page. Thrown in are several plot twist that will unquestionably leave readers gasping. Some of them will blow minds and some will get readers heated up. No matter what is contained in this book, it was solid through and through. Just like how the first book administered a firm grip, the sequel continues the tradition and tightens it up a bit more. Kim and Klavan’s writing style will raise interest levels to its peak. Wanderers is a well-written sci-fi dystopian novel that will not fail to satisfy.

You can purchaseWanderers at the following Retailers:

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you SUSAN AND LAURENCEfor making this giveaway possible.

1 Winner will receive a Copy of Wanderers by Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan.